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The Baker with the Broken Clock

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Marco is a baker in a small town. His bakery smells of warm flour and sugar. Every morning, Marco makes special bread. People wait in a long line. The bread is soft and perfect.

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In the bakery, there is a large, black clock on the wall. The clock is very old. It does not move. The time is always 4:00.

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A young woman, Elena, enters the bakery. She looks at the clock. She looks at her watch. "Excuse me, Marco," Elena says. "Your clock is broken. It is 10:00, but the clock says 4:00."

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Marco smiles. He touches the warm bread. "The clock is not for the people," Marco says. "The clock is for the bread."

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Elena is confused. "I do not understand," she says.

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Marco explains. "I start the bread at 4:00. For me, the time is always 4:00. I do not look at the hours. I look at the dough. I feel the temperature. I smell the yeast."

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He gives a piece of bread to Elena. "The bread is ready when it is ready," Marco says. "It does not care about the minutes."

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Elena eats the bread. It is delicious. She looks at the broken clock again. She smiles. In this bakery, time does not matter. Only the bread is important.